Circular-knitting machine



,July 1, 1930. P, A. BENTLEY Er AL 1,769,662

CIRCULAR KNITTIVNG MACHINE VFiled June 6. 1927 2 shuts-sheet l 90 nlll' 1LT@ n" f6 10 f ,M L' '"Q `j Y 5f 60 p 156% Ill if 106 1"' 116' Il IL 961% 10(5) 53 I I lI 5 1 I H I 50 Il Z) ze J @ga Patented July 1, 1930 PERCIV'AL ARTHUR BENTLEY, CHARLES FREDERICK MANGER, AND CARLYLE HEB- BERT WAIN WRIGHT, 0F LEICESTER, WRIGHTASSIGNORS TO SAID BENTLEY GLAND; SAID MANGER AND SAID WAIN- CIRC'ULAR-KNITTING MACHINE Application led June 6, 1927, Serial No. 196,961, and in Great Britain .Tune 10, 1926.

-This invention relates to circular knitting machines of the type that is characterized by having superposed needle cylinders within corresponding cam boxes and means to produce relative' rotation and rotary cation of the cylinders and cam boxes and by the employment of double-ended needles. 4Examples of machines of this type are disclosed in the-specifications of British Letters Patent Nos. 15008/1900, 24290/ 1912 and 171,483.

A general object of the present invention is to improve machines of vthe above type particularly in regard to the devices which are concerned with the feeding of yarn to the needles.

A feature of the invention is an arrangement in a machine of the type hereinbefore specified and having yarn feeding mecha- .nism comprising yarn feeders, of means for moving a feeder adjacent the normal feeding level, then moving the other feeder out of the normal feeding level, then lmoving the first mentioned feeder into 'the normal feeding level.

A further feature of the invention is an arrangement in a machine of the type hereinbefore specified and having yarn-feeding mechanism comprising yarn feeders each movable into and out of operative position at the normal feeding level and automatic means for moving one of said feeders into such level and another away therefrom to change the yarn supplied to the needles, in which arrangement the ffeeders are superposed ene upon another and there are means act-ing automatically to move a feeder, which by reason of such superposition is normally out of the normal feeding level into that level when said feeder is to su ply yarn f to the needles. Preferably, the eeders are .each pivoted to swing about an axis (for example an axis common to the feeders) which is substantially parallel with the axis of the-needle cylinders, but obviously they may be pivoted to swing about axes substantially parallel with the axis of the needle cylinders.

A further feature of the invention is the provision in a machineof the typev herein- Y before specified and having yarn feeders each movable into and out of o erative position at the normal feeding levell), of mechanism acting automatically when a change is to be made in the supply of yarn to the needles to Amove apfeeder to a osition adjacent the normal feeding level rom whence it will supply yarn to the needles (to provide the necessary overlap in the work) while yarn is also being supplied thereto by another feeder at the normal feeding level, and then to move said other feeder awayfrom the normalfeedin level to cease supply of arn from it to t e needles andto move the rstnamed feeder into said level.

unitary yarn-feeding device comprising'two yarn passages so spaced relatively that when the device is in the normal feeding level the yarn issuing from one of said passages-has imparted to it the ynecessary lead over the yarn issuing from the other passage so as to ensure that one yarn is knitting into the work over the other as a plating yarn.

The above and other features of the invention including an improved yarn cutting and trapping device and certain details of construction, all of which features are pointed out in the appended claiming clauses, will be obvious to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following description of a preferred construction i1- lustrative of said features and shown in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan of the arts of a knitting machine with which t e invention is particularlyv concerned.

Figure 2 is an elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a detail view, in side elevation and' partl in section of the yarn feeders shown in igures 1 and 2;

A35 The invention includes also, as a feature a Figure 4 is an enlarged view of part of Flgure 1, vto show more clearly the yarn cutting and trapping device and associated parts;

Figure 5 is a section substantially on the line 5 5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a vies like that of Figure .e butwith the parts in a different position;

' and Figure 8 is a section through a cam shaft of the machine to illustrate a device for effecting angular adjustment of a cam about said shaft. Y

In the construction illustrated, in-front of the normal feeding level of the machine, a pair of levers 10, 12 is mounted one above the other upon a vertically disposed pivot 14, carried by a plate 16 supported on a post 18 projecting upwardl from a stationary part of the machine ramework. The upper lever 10 has at Aits end which is nearer the needle circle, the upper and lower needle cylinders bein indicated at 20 and 22 the usual yarn-gui ing passage while the lever 12 has its corresponding end forked, each tine of the fork being provided with a yarn-guiding passage one of which, as presi ently will be described, is used in connection with the feeding of a plating yarn to the needles. To the right hand--1. e. in the direction in which the needles Vtravel when circular knitting is being performed, there is situated in the machine a combined yarn trapper and cutter indicated generall 1n Figure 1 at 24 the description of whic will vbe given later herein.

' Before describing the operating mecha-v nism for the arn feeders 10', 12 and the trapper, it is eemed convenient now to set forth the movements of these parts and the nature of the work produced.

Assuming that the feeder 10 is operating to feed yarn to the needles, the feeder 12 at this time will be positioned (as in Fi re 1) with its feeding end located to the right of the normal feeding level andv in proximit to the trapper. 24 which holds the end of t e yarn (or the ends of both yarns ifv a plating yarn is to be knitted in also) coming from the feeder 12. With the parts so disposed the fabric reduced by the machine will obviously ge composed solely of the' arn su plied from the feeder 10.

en a c ange in the character of the work produced is to be effected--say a colour change--the feeder 12 swings through and slightly beyond the normal feeding level thus laying its yarn or yarns, as the case may be, in position to be taken up bythe needles, thetrapper 24 still maintalning its hold on the said yarn or yarns. The feeder- 12 stays in this position while a few of the needles-say four-are knitting-inthe yarns from both feeders l() and 12 to form the necessary lap in the work. The trapper 24 next-opens to release its hold on the yarn or yarns from thefeeder- 12 and the feeder 10 moves to theright into or near the posi tion previously occupied by the feeder 12 and in so `doing brings its yarn-which of course is still attached to the fabric-between the jaws of the trapper 24 which now close on the yarn to sever 1t from the fabric and hold the end thus formed on the part of the yarn leading to the feeder 10. Next following or during such movement of the feeder 10, the feeder 12 is gradually moved to the right into the normal feeding level and the knitting operation proceeds, the fabric being formedby the yarn or yarns issuing only from the feeder 12. v When the knitting is to be restored to the character first herein assumed the positions of the feeders are interchanged and the trapper again operates as above described except of course that the movements above described asimparted to, saythe feeder 10 will apply to the feeder 12 and vice versa.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that with a machine equipped w1th parts operatin as above described, hose may be knitted ormed in the main of yarn of one colour but provided with a ring or rings of as many courses wide as is desired of yarn of another colour, such ring or rings a pearing, of course, on both sides of the abric; and further any desired portion of the work may have incorporated in it a plating yarnsay of artificial silkappearing on one side only of the fabric, the delivery ends lof the yarn passages in the feeder 12 being spaced apart a distance sufficient to afford t e necessary lead in the plating yarn to bring about this effect.

The mechanism imparting the abovementioned movements of the feeders and for operating the combined yarn trapper and cutter and the details of construction of the latter will now be described.

Journalled in the machine is a shaft 26 driven from the back shaft 28 of the machine by a pawl and ratchet mechanism controlled as toits time of operation by stops 32 (one of which appears in Figure 2) on the usual pattern chain 34.. For this purpose the back shaft carries a cam 36 into and out of range of which a projection 38 Qn a vertically swinging arm 40 is brought at i times by Aa horizontal swinging movement determined by the stops 32 by means of a rod 42 to the arm 40 from a bell-crank lever 44 operated by such stops 32. To effect the lateral swinging movement of the arm 40, the said arm ispivoted on a bearing block 140 mounted for movement about a vertical axis; the bearing block being so connected to the rod 42 that a turning movement is imparted to itl when a stop is encountered by the bell-crank lever 44. The projection 38 is normally out of range of the cam 36 and is brought into the range of the cam for operation thereby at each engagement of a 26 a so car-ries a control drum 54 (Figure 1) which is o eratively connected with each of the yarn eeders 10, 12. These connections are substantially alike so, for the sake of conciseness, one set only--those relating to the feeder 10 will be described in detail. This set includes a lever 56 which is pivoted at 57 on a part of the machine frame work and which bears against the drum 54 under the action of a sprin 58 acting upon a rod 60 projecting from -t e lever. The lever 56 is coupled to the feeder 10 by a ball-ended strut 62 the ends of which enga e, respectively, sockets formed in the fe er 10 and in an adjusting screw 64 threaded in the lever 56, a sprin 65 (omitted from Figure 1 but shown in Figure 2) between the feeder and the lever keeping'the parts in engagement. The feeder 10 can be adjusted as to its position by the screw 64 and to maintain the adjustment there is provided a set nut 66 (see Figure 2) on the screw 64, which can be locked against the lever 56. The

lever 56 in the connections between thev control drum and the feeders is actuated by two cam surfaces on the drum, each of said cam surfaces acting on projections 68, 70. These rojections may each be formed upon a block 141 adjustable lengthwise of the lever. By adjusting this block or these blocks the timing of the movement of the lever and consequently of the feeder to which it appertains may be varied to vary accordingly the length of the lap in the fabric formed when a change in the yarn supplied to the needles is brought about. By thearrangement of parts above described the movement of the levers which swings the feeders to the left into the knitting location is yieldingly effected, while the feeders are moved positively in the opposite direction 'by their respective cams on the controldrum 54.

The combined-yarn trapper and cutter hereinbefore referred to comprises (see Figures 4 and 5) a stationary shear blade 70 with which co-operates alcompanion shear blade 72 formed on a lever74 the pivot 76 of which is surrounded by a' compression spring 78 which tends to force the blades together laterally to insure a shearing cut on the yarn. To hold the yarn during the cutting and after it has been cut there is attached to the blade a plate 80 which rides against the opposite or non-cutting side of the shear blade 72 and comes into action (see Figure 7 where the yarn is indicated at 200) as the blades approach to grip the yarn against that side of the shear blade before the blades meet and sever the yarn. Attached to the shear blade 70, conveniently by the same screws by which the plate 80 is secured, is a guide plate 82 which functions to dispose of the cut end of the yarn. The plate 8O has a depending portion 84 (Figure 5) which acts as a uard to prevent movement of the yarn, w en introduced into the open shear 'aws, beyond a desired point into the blight ofthe aws.

The blade 70 is curved outwardly at 86 for the purpose of clearing away loose yarn ends or the like that may tend to enter the machine.

The combined trapper and cutter is closed by a sprin 88 acting upon the lever 74 and is opened y another lever 90 (pivoted-on the plate 16) one end of which extends under the lever 74 while its other end is connected jection 98 (Figure 8) extending between and engaged by adjusting screws 100 threaded in the twol arms of a forked member 102 fixed .upon the shaft at one side of the cam.

To check accidental movement of the shaft 26, this shaft has secured .to it a disc 104 provided with notches each adapted to be enj gaged, as the shaft is rotated into its several positions, by a V-block 106 carried by a l spring-pressed lever 108.

For the best results it is considered advisable that each of the feeders 10, 12 when at the normal feeding level be stationed at a given level `in the machine. This in the presand cutter and to this end has a vlateral proent ease is assumed to be that of the feeder 10. To bring the feeder 12 to this level when it, in its turn, is at the normal feeding level, the feedersv in the present construction are arranged to tip in a plane containing the axis of theirnpivot 14, the pivot hole in each feeder being slightly enlarged and its edges rounded to lpermit this tipping movement, and therev is a plunger 110- (Figure 3) arranged to lift the feeders, against the action of ,a spring 112, when the -feeder 12 is in the normal feeding level, which plunger is operated by a rocking arm 114 pivoted on the post 18 and actuated at the proper times from a cam 116 on the shaft 26. The` arm 114 is connected by a rod 118 with a lever 120 pressed byy a spring (not shown) against the cam 1-16.

` In the present construction, the Afeeders 10, 12 feed the yarn directv to the needles from outside the vusual latchguard 122 and ture in the latch ard, the plate constituting that guard in t is case being cut away 1n such manner as to permit this to occur while feedin at the same time ensuring that the plate performs its latch-guarding function.

Although in the particular construction just described there are but two yarn-feeding devices of which one has provision for the feeding of a plating arn as well as a main yarfi, it is to be un erstood that it is within the scope of the invention to provide more than two yarn feeders any one or more of which may be provided if desired with an additional passage fory the feeding of a sec- 15 ond arm Moreover, if two feeds only are level, means to move a feeder adjacent the normal feeding level, then move the other feeder out of the normal feeding level, and

' then move the first mentioned feeder into the normal feedin level. I

2. In a mac ine accordin to claim 1, an arrangement in which the eeders are each pivoted to swing about an axis which is substantially parallel with the axis of the needle cylinders.

-.3. In a machine accordin to claim 1, an arrangement in which the eeders are each pivoted to'swing about an axis which is substantially 4parallel with the axis of the needle cylinders, and in which a feeder is arranged to swivel upon its pivot not onl about the axis ofthe latter to move the fee er to a position adjacent the normal feeding level but also in a-plane containing that axisto enable the feeder to be tilted from that position into the normal feeding level.

4. In a circular knitting machine of the type having superposed n needle cylinders within corresponding cam boxes and of thek type having means to produce relative rotation and rotary reciprocation of the cylinders and cam boxes and of the type wherein are employed double-ended needles, yarnfeeding mechanism comprising superposed yarn feeders each movable into and out of operative position at the normal feeding level, said feeders being pivoted to swing about an axis which is substantially parallel with the axis of the needle cylinders and one of said feeders being arranged to swivel upon its pivot not only about the axis of the level, and then to move said other feeder` away from the normal feedin level to cease supply of yarn from it to t e needles and to move the irstnamed feeder in.` a plane containing its axis into said level.

5. In a circular knitting machine of the vtype having superposed needle cylinders within corresponding cam boxes and of the type having means to produce relative rotation and rotary reciprocation of the cylinders and cam boxes and of the type wherein are employed double-ended needles, yarnfeeding mechanism comprising yarn feeders each movable into and out of operative osition at the normal feeding level, said eeders being pivoted to swing about an axis common tothe feeders which axis is substantially parallel with. the axis ofy the needle cylinders, one of such feeders which by reason of such superposition is normally Aout of the level of the normal feeding level, andmechanism acting automatically when a change is to be made in the supply of yarn to the needles to move a feeder to a position adjacent the normal feeding level from whence it will supply yarn to the needles to provide the necessary overlap in the work while yarn is also being supplied thereto by another feeder at the normal feeding level,y and then to move said other feeder away from the normal feeding level to cease supply of yarn from it to the needles and to move t e first-named feeder into said level and into the position just vacated by the other feeder. 4

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification. PERCIVAL ARTHUR BENTLEY. CHARLES FREDERICK MANGER. CARLYLE HERBERT WAINWRIGHT.

latter to move it toward the circumferential 

